On the eve of Napoli destroyed Empoli (5: 1) in the duel of the next round of Serie A.

Following the match, Carlo Ancelotti criticized his team, despite the crushing victory.

"I'm more angry than contented. This result should indicate a good game of my team, but in fact, Empoli played better ".

"The rival owned the initiative and led the game until the score was 4: 1. Despite the final defeat, this fight was a real hard struggle ".

"In the match with Roma, we were significantly superior to the opponent, but we only got a draw. Today, on the contrary, we got more than we deserved.. We were deadly in the attack, but Empoli in general looked preferable to us ".

"Even Mertens pissed me off. I told him that if he wants to score more, he must act in the center. He played the winger, saying that assists are also important.. As a result, from a position on the flank, he managed to make a hat-trick and give an assist ”, - quotes Ancelotti Sky Sports.

Note that, thanks to a hat-trick at the gate, Empoli Mertens became the best Belgian scorer in the history of Serie A (73 goals).